Montreal Falun Gong practitioners were told they were not allowed to participate in the city's popular St. Patrick's Day parade last Sunday because they are "political," sources from the Montreal Gazette.
An email from Beverly Murphy, VP of organization with the United Irish Societies of Montreal, to Falun Gong coordinator Zhu Ying, said the group will not be allowed entry "due to the political nature of your contingent." The group has participated in the parade for the last five years.
Falun Gong coordinator Zhu Ying believes pressure was put on parade organizers by the Chinese embassy to bar the Falun Gong contingent, which includes the Tian Guo Marching Band. The group has participated in the parade for the last five years.
Gerald Showers, spokesperson for United Irish Societies of Montreal, denies this.
"That's not true. We were never contacted by any government. We tried to just tell them were an open book and there's no Chinese government that's going to tell us who we should or should not have in the parade."
Showers says Falun Gong has been repeatedly asked to stop giving out pamphlets that depict torture and the reasons they are in the parade, but in vain.
Showers insists the group has been excluded because Falun Gong practitioners handed out pamphlets at last year's parade.
(Facts.org.cn, March 23, 2009)
Sources from:
1. Irish organizers stand by decision to give Falun Gong the boot
